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media landscape today is more fragmented and diversified than ever, with the emergence of new media in the form of podcasts, Substacks and other independent journalism platforms giving consumers a wealth of news and analysis to choose from.
Several prominent journalists who were best known as the faces of their networks went independent in 2025, although not all by choice. Those who have done so are in all cases even more outspoken than before, suggesting that the corporate shackles of their former employers no longer constrain their true opinions.
Here are five figures who left mainstream media in the past year.
CNN STAFF SHOCKED BY JIM ACOSTA'S SUDDEN LEAVE FROM THE NETWORK
Jim Acosta
Known for his melodramatic reporting style as a White House correspondent and then a news anchor on CNN, Acosta announced in January, he left the network after being offered a midnight slot instead of a daytime slot.
Left leader who introduced editorial in his report on the president Donald Trump and others, launched “The Jim Acosta Show” on Substack, where he hosts a liberal podcast and blogs and reports.
In one of the strangest moments of the year in journalism, Acosta “interviewed” in August a faux-animated avatar of deceased teenager Joaquin Oliver, who was killed in the Parkland massacre, to promote a gun control message.
Although the teenager's father approved of the stunt, interview caused serious criticism about the ethics of putting words into the mouth of a dead person and highlighted Acosta's hyper-partisan approach.
Joy Reed
Longtime host of MSNBC, now known as MS NOW, was suddenly fired in February hosted by “The ReidOut”. Reed suggested it was because of her outspoken stance on the Gaza war and Trump, but said she was never given a true reason for her dismissal.
Reed launched “The Joy Reid Show” in June, where she has brought her far-left commentary and interviews to more than 382,000 subscribers on YouTube and counting.
Among her highlights this year, including numerous appearances in interviews on other shows, is a video saying the song “Jingle Bells” is racist. makes fun of Erica Kirk's outfit after the murder of her husband Charlie and suggested that Trump might not have actually been shot last year.
Terry Moran
Long-time ABC correspondent. parted ways with the network in June after he was removed from office for social media rants against Trump and political adviser Stephen Miller, in which he called each man a “world-class hater.”
Moran, who just a few weeks earlier interviewed Trump in the Oval Office went the Substack route, calling his site “True Patriotism.”
Terry Moran worked at ABC News for nearly 28 years. (Paula Lobo/Getty)
He also praised the development of alternative media, which he is now a part of with his Substack.
“New media is messy, chaotic and sometimes misinformed. But there is no denying that this new journalism is more democratic, more diverse and less susceptible to corporate interests pretending that “objectivity” means staying silent about reality. The future is already here” he wrote.
Chuck Todd
Todd left NBC News in January after 18 years with the network and relaunched his podcast, “Chuck ToddCast,” in April.
He cited a loss of faith in the national media when he made the move.
CHUCK TODD WARNES DEMONSTRATIONS FALL INTO TRUMP'S TRAP, 'LOOKING' FOR NEIGHBORHOOD REBUILDING
Former NBC host Chuck Todd during an August episode of his podcast. (Screenshot/”Chuck Toddcast”/YouTube)
“The reason I'm willing to move is because the media has a lot of work to do to regain trust, and I think, frankly, the national media is not the place to do that,” Todd said.
The former “Meet the Press” moderator doesn't hesitate to criticize Democrats on his podcast, but much of his commentary strongly against Trump.
Jennifer Rubin
old Washington Post columnist leaves newspaper in January out of anger at owner Jeff Bezos, who rescinded the paper's endorsement of Kamala Harris for president last year.
The virulently anti-Trump writer, who was once a typical conservative newspaper opinion writer but took a sharp left turn, co-founded The Contrarian with Norm Eisen, a “pro-Democratic” subgroup that would feature “fearless and original opinion and cultural commentary without false balance, euphemisms or playful political criticism.”
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“We have watched as corporate owners and billionaire media owners abused the loyalty of their audiences and undermined journalism's vital role in a free democracy,” Rubin said in a statement at the time. “Instead of defending democratic values, they have created the most serious threat to democracy – Donald Trump and its allies – at a time when a reliable and independent press is most important. We need an alternative, truly independent publication that is not afraid of the administration and is not willing to prevaricate or bend the knee.”
